Marielito

American  

[mahr-ee-uh-lee-toh, mah-rye-lee-taw] / ˌmɑr i əˈli toʊ, ˌmɑ ryɛˈli tɔ /

noun

plural

Marielitos

1. a refugee from Cuba who came to the U.S. in 1980 as part of a mass migration that sailed from Mariel, Cuba.

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Etymology

Origin of Marielito

First recorded in 1980–85; from Latin American Spanish (Cuba), equivalent to Mariel, the port from which the migration began + -ito noun suffix, usually diminutive

Example Sentences

By 1983, the film Scarface had even fictionalized a Marielito as a druglord and violent criminal.

From Time

The authorities were able to locate Sira and reunite them; he was the first Marielito to arrive in the Bay Area.

From Time

In this week’s magazine, Jon Lee Anderson writes about the entrepreneur Hugo Cancio, a former Marielito who has positioned himself as a sought-after intermediary for American investors, politicians, and celebrities travelling to the new Cuba.

From The New Yorker

I met up with Jorge González Graupera, a friend and self­proclaimed “Marielito” — the sometimes-offensive moniker given to the approximately 125,000 Cuban refugees, some of whom were released from prison by Castro, who were allowed to emigrate to the United States in 1980 on what was called the Mariel Boatlift.

From Washington Post

Carlos Alfonzo, 38, a Marielito exile from Havana who now lives in Miami and is perhaps the most gifted young artist in the show, paints somewhat under the influence of Wilfredo Lam.

From Time Magazine Archive